Gifted Curse
by EllieAckles.x
Summary: false pretenses... holding up a view for the public and being in a painful regret behind closed doors... i've found the true meaning behind the whole a gift can also be a curse... but will i really think that way after a few painful months?
1. Chapter 1

I've been told that in life a gift can also be a curse. But I have never quite fully understood that expression even though I have reached the age of eighteen. The war was over, but still I was in full alert mode. I had returned to Hogwarts... well what was left of it. There were parts of the school still being put back together, and the drop in students was huge. Out of all the people in the repeat of seventh year I wouldn't be surprised if there was only 30 people in each house. Out of the rest of the years, maybe 300 students give or take... I had never seen the school so empty.

Ginny and Harry had returned with me but Ron stayed to help George and give him help with the store. The one I was totally surprise to see and then disgusted that they allowed him back in the school was Draco Malfoy. Not only did he stand and watch me be tortured until I was at the point of insanity, he was also made Head Boy! Head Boy... I was Head Girl and just because they felt like it we had to share a dorm. Each time I saw him I had the urge to vomit on him or I'd be given flash backs of times I'd rather forget.

But besides that the real reason for all this is the 'a gift can be a curse' thing. My so called gift for being way to nice for my own good, and believing people deserve a second chance is what I believe to be a curse. Because me Hermione Granger believed that the Malfoy's deserved a second chance to be seen in a better light than the dim flickering bulb they were sitting under now. All this happened when I got to the stage of being civil with Malfoy. We over looked or differences and the past and made an alliance. We sort of became friends...

okay so not friends but in the last four months he has not once called me a mudblood and I thought he had taken a turn for the better. That's when I got back from Hogsmed today, him sitting in the small living space of the common room looking as though he wanted to cry but then changing his mind and wanting to kill something.

"Malfoy what's wrong?" I didn't have a clue of whether I should speak to him in a time like this or just leave it, but being too curious as to why he was mopy looking got the better of me.

"What isn't wrong would be a smart question, Granger... and they call you the brightest witch of our age.. pfft tell me the next joke..." he said in a snarl before getting up and walking to the window. "you know I always wondered why no one reacted when I came back to this place, why I didn't go to Azkaban like every other Death Eater, but now... now that they have... hmm.. I think I should have kept my curiosity to a minimum." he said nodding his head a little and pointing a finger while he looked out over the grounds then turning back to me. I was utterly confused now and just as I opened my mouth he spoke again.

"I mean, it would be fine if it happened when I first got here hell I think I would have welcomed that!..., I could have dealt with it better, but now after four months...why? What did they just think.. oh yeah and Draco Malfoy is at Hogwats lets have a carry on... they're threatening to burn down the manor, father's having a coronary over the whole ordeal from Azkaban and Mother... well Mother is just hiding away and just letting everything happen. For all they know she could be dead...

You know I got a howler. From Father mind you... saying it was my fault, yup my fault that these events are even taking place Granger, and I'm not even fucking home!" he finished his rant by sitting in the arm chair and pulling at the fringe of his blonde hair. It was no longer slicked back and hung loosely atop his head, it was always cut sort of short now and he had gotten a bit more colour an almost soft tan... maybe if you could call it that, maybe it was just because he wasn't stressed and he was healthy again...

"Malfoy do prey tell what exactly you are having a cow over" I said standing a few feet away from where he was seated

"Having a cow! You think that is the right response in a situation like this, I need help here Granger! Not lack of sympathy from the likes of you! I have a problem here it need to be fixed or I could loose everything! My future. The manor, when I'm done here and what else? My social acceptance too! Give me something I can use to help me!" he all but yelled towering over me like I was in the wrong.

"Well Malfoy, enjoy the rest of your miserable life, if you can't be nice to _the likes of me_ then I doubt you'll achieve any social acceptance." I said walking to my room. I was so pleased that I acted calmly about this. I actually smiled when I got there. Deciding on trying to finish my Potions essay, I set to work...

merely three hours later I walked out of my room pleased that I had finished my essay. To find Malfoy still pulling at his hair but now he was seated on the window sill with it wide open. I tried to creep passed to get to dinner but he spotted me as soon as I took a step out of my doorway.

"You know I am sorry about the things I said to you before Granger, I was caught in the heat of the moment." he said without looking at me.

"What do you want Malfoy" I asked irritated folding my arms across my chest

"What makes you think I want something?" he said getting down from the ledge and closing the window.

"because not once have I ever heard you say sorry to me" I raised an eyebrow as he looked at me. Knowing that I'd caught him out.

"I have come up with a solution to my dilemma... I sent both Mother and Father a letter and they... approve... and.. ah support me if it.. um happens.." he said putting both hands together and looking at me with a worried expression... not ever had I seen so much emotion on Malfoy's face.

"And what is this result, you've come up with?" I asked I knew it some how involved me before it left his mouth but still I wanted to know.

"Marry me. I'll be seen in a better view. Muggle-born wife think of all the belief's of people about the Malfoy's! They'll be willing to give me a second chance... they'll think well Granger believed in him then so should we" he said with a grin that said he thought it was a great idea.

"People will know it was fake" I said abruptly not even saying I wouldn't do it.

"So if we made it believable you'd do it" he asked walking closer as I made my way to the portrait.

"Ahhhhh..." I had dug myself a hole, I should have just said no to begin with, stupid girl.

"So you will?" he asked following me down the hall. I stopped walking and turned to look at him. Searching his eyes for some sort of joke.

"I don't know whether to trust you Malfoy, and yes I'll agree to help. But if we're going to do this it has to be believable. I mean totally believable. You know you'll have to touch me and be nice call me Hermione! Malfoy... I will not be married to you forever, it will be a year at the maxium, say we decided we were to different or somethin I don't know but I will not be married to you for the rest of my life for you and your family to look good." I said and continuing walking/

"Granger thank you!" he said, not like he meant it either but still it was there. "This fake thing we have going starts now" he said and grabbed my hand as we walked into the great hall.

Wow what do yous think? Leave a review and let me know. This is going to be my first ever chapter fan fin and only my second one too... so hope yous like it (:


	2. Chapter 2

Its been eight long painful months since this fake relationship with Malfoy started. I haven't spoke to Ron since, Harry seems to want to talk to me but stays away scared that Ron will find out, and Ginny is in a combination of mad, excited, and... an unknown Ginny emotion... we've finished at Hogwarts about three months ago and Malfoy insisted to live together to move things along quicker so we didn't have to be together any longer than needed. It seems that with each day that passes Malfoy gets more and more... um arrogant? He seems to find it great that people love him for being with me, in public there is the side that he wants everyone to see, the first time I saw it I was astounded to say the least. He looked at me with pure adoration an emotion I didn't think would ever cross Malfoy's face, when someone nearly bumped into me he wrapped a protective arm around my waist and made sure I was okay before turning to the man and giving him a terrifying glare before we continued down the street. But as soon as we are out of public view his back to the same Malfoy I've known since I was only young, maybe even more cold.

But on a much better note he has been away for a whole week leaving me alone in 'our' apartment. Yes I actually got him to let us leave away from the Manor, he knew I wouldn't go back there but he insisted to, I won though and got to choose where we lived. It was a small little flat, on the fifth floor of a very sought after area of London. Knowing if that was the case that he would agree I chose it. It had two bedrooms, two bathrooms a massive kitchen/living room space and massive windows across one side of the whole space that then went out onto a terrace that looked over the hole of London.

It was all modern, and the only thing I got to decorate was my room. Being in bright greens and yellows and oranges, I didn't really know how but that's what I did painting each wall a colour and having white furniture and carpet. The rest was dark colours. Blues, blacks, reds, the kitchen black and red with dark wooden floorboards. The living room a navy blue, and white carpet, it reminded me a bit of the beach and the bathrooms both in a grey instead of white.

I would never admit it to him but I liked the colours he chose. Who knew Malfoy could be any good at decorating.

Malfoy is currently at some Healer training thing I wasn't really paying attention apart from when he was going and when he would be home. Which is tonight mind you.. I suppose it will give me something to do though, I haven't been anywhere but my parents in the whole time. I should look for a job or something but each time o do Malfoy refuses to allow me to, coming out with the whole "A Malfoy never works Granger, it's just how my family works"

"Well Malfoy I am not apart of your family yet and even when I am it will only be within a small time frame! What am I suppose to do sit around, clean cook? You know that I hate all those things"

"Well go make some more friends" was his only reply before walking to his room to pack.

"MAKE friends hmm if I remember correctly before I agreed to this I had amazing friends... now when this is all over i'll have no one Malfoy my mother always said I was to nice!" I yelled back before continuing to my room and slamming the door, and that was the last I spoke to Malfoy before he left for the week so i'm just a little worried about the out come of tonight.

So I decided to make what I assume is his favourite because each time i've cooked it before his eaten the whole think and not complained once. Lasagne one of the best foods the Italians ever gave us. And veggies I believed would be enough to warm him up as much as Malfoy could be.

* * *

"Granger" I heard from the hall way...uugghhh amazing his back.

"in the Kitchen" I yelled back

"what smells so nice"

"food" I said sarcastically

"well obviously you didn't make it."

"Um I did actually"

"well i'm not eating it"

"What? Why?"

"No mudblood cooks my food you might have poisoned it. Besides I thought we could go out tonight"

"you thought as in you're giving me the option?" I asked standing there with my hands on my hips looking at him like he had three heads. And him giving me the same look to me in return.

"no I was just putting it out there in a rather commanding way Granger, yes i'm giving you the option why is that so hard to believe?" he said sitting at the bar stools that lined the bench that I was leaning on.

"Maybe because you constantly are choosing what I do, when and where you're going to act civil to me, i've been wanting to say this to you for months and now I think it's the right time." I said

"time for?"

"Malfoy we have been in this little relationship as the people see it for at least eight months now, you act all kind to me when people are around, even around your friends, but any where else i'm like a disease you can't get rid of! Even your mother treats me as though i'm a gift sent from above, your father doesn't seem to sneer at me as often. But you? I think this is the most civil you've ever been, and you've only managed to insult my blood once in the 15 minutes you've been here. You said at the very beginning when I first agreed that you'd be civil, if civil is your cruelty towards me then I think I can't do this anymore... I want out or for us to get married already and get this horrible thing over with, i've got no friends as it is, you wont let me have a job. You're a bit to controlling for a fake relationship Malfoy, and i'm over it." I said feeling at though a huge weight had been taken off my shoulders, looking at him though he wasn't impressed and this is why I kept putting it off.

"that's all it is Granger a fake relationship. My mother and father treat you with respect because you're the one that will put us back into good graces-"

"well why wont you show me the sa-"

"i'm talking now Granger. I act nice to you in front of my friends because they're the first ones that will see through this. Blaise will be fine with it but the rest? I think they would make your life worse than I do. I have never liked you Granger and I wont start to just because of some agreement we have. It's not my fault your friends wont stand beside you through this, i'd same i'm sorry for that but in truth i'm happy I don't have pothead and the weasel around here every day to make sure I haven't hurt you. If you're so over being treated this way why now? Why not didn't you tell me ages ago? As for the job thing, never has a Malfoy woman had to work. And to make this believable Granger there are just some things you have to give up on. I'm in control here because it's my rep i'm trying to fix, not yours." he said leaning over the counter at me with hard eyes,

I was just a little scared and thought that I should never had said anything. So instead of replying I took out the Lasagne and turned off the stove and the oven, the whole time I could feel his eyes on me. I magically cooled the food down and put them in the fridge before I looked at him one last time and headed to my bedroom. The only noise I heard was a loud annoyed groan a bang and then a door slam before silence was all that there was for the rest of the night.


End file.
